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Police sergeant arrested

A Savannah-Chatham police sergeant indicted in January for making false statements and violating his oath as an officer was arrested and charged with nine felony counts on Sunday afternoon.

Sgt. Malik Abdul Khaalis was charged with two counts of violation of oath by public officer and seven counts of false statements and writings. The charges stem from a 2010 investigation of police corruption.

The Chatham County grand jury charged that Khaalis made official false statements in February 2010 to Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team agents about his conduct during the probe that centered on Khaalis and Star Cpl. Willet Williams during an ongoing drug-trafficking probe. Williams was fired in December.

Interim Police Chief Julie Tolbert placed Khaalis on paid administrative leave in October and last week did not accept his notice of resignation submitted in December through his wife, Nicole.

“Due to recent events regarding the probe into my alleged wrongdoing while working for (the Chatham Counter Narcotics Team) I have decided to resign from the (force),” Malik Khaalis wrote in a Dec. 18 letter to Tolbert. “The media scrutiny and misrepresented facts has taking (sic) its toll on me and my family, so after a lot of contemplation resigning is the best option.”

Allegations against Khaalis “have stained my representation (reputation) to the extent that I have lost faith in the rules and the procedures that I swore to uphold,” the 13-year veteran said.